Wireless communication devices such as cellular telephones have inherent limitations due to their small size. For example, a cellular telephone battery is capable of delivering a finite amount of power for a limited amount of time. Another limitation is functionality of the telephone due to the limited processing power available from the cellular telephone circuitry such as the microprocessor, digital signal processor (DSP), and digital memory. These limitations will hinder the ability of current cellular telephone technology from providing the very high data rate services associated with third and fourth generation cellular telephone services and applications.
In one prior art embodiment, a cellular telephone power supply accessory converts AC power from a conventional AC power outlet to DC power. The cellular telephone is connected to the power supply to charge the battery, and the cellular telephone can be operated while it is connected to the power supply. However, this only supplements the DC power requirement of the telephone and does not facilitate the use of higher data rates and does not increase the signal processing capability of the telephone.
More complex cellular telephone extension kits effectively totally replace the cellular telephone radio electronics with another radio having greater processing power. However, this is a total replacement of the cellular telephone radio with another and is thus costly. Therefore, there is a need for a portable communication device that can handle the increased data rates that will soon be necessary for future generation wireless data applications. There is a further need for a cellular telephone capable of adaptable performance depending upon its configuration.
In the drawing figures, like numerals represent like components.